A Brief Introduction to Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa is not viewed quite the same in Japan as he is out of Japan. When I ask Japanese acquaintances about Mr. Kurosawa, unless I’m speaking to a serious film enthusiast, Kurosawa is often referred to as, “a guy who made a bunch of old movies.”
Akira Kurosawa’s films predate many film-goers in Japan now, and newer movies are of more immediate relevance to present day Japanese. This does not mean Kurosawa is not respected or known in Japan, but there are many Japanese who have never seen a Kurosawa film, and many who may never see one in their entire lives.
Because of the worldwide acclaim some of Kurosawa’s films have received and due to the well-deserved praise many high profile western filmmakers have given him, Kurosawa has entered the minds of Westerners as the quintessential Japanese filmmaker. Though many Japanese think of Akira Kurosawa as simply an important Japanese film pioneer, many Westerners will likely continue to view Kurosawa as the ultimate icon of Japanese cinema for some time to come.
So why create a special Kurosawa category at Savage Japan Movie Reviews?
This website is likely to be read primarily by Westerners, and many Westerners will come to the world of Japanese cinema looking for Kurosawa, the name they know best from that world.
Akira Kurosawa has made some exceptional and important films and deserves his place in history as a legendary director and significant influence on movies around the world. And though Kurosawa made quite a few box office bombs and maybe even a few films of questionable merit, he does represent a relatively safe starting point in Japanese cinema and provides a reasonable assurance of quality. Several of Akira Kurosawa’s films really do fall into a must-see category.
With the Kurosawa reviews my main intention is to provide enough information for casual Japanese film enthusiasts to pick out some of the Kurosawa films that might be best suited to their tastes. I’m also happy to receive feedback from Akira Kurosawa aficionados who agree or disagree with anything I post about Kurasawa’s work.
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March 10, 2011
The currently available reviews can all be viewed from the main entrance page here.
I’m in the process of rebuilding this site and restoring the first 24 reviews after a meltdown at my previous hosting provider. This page will feature cover art links to use in selecting the reviews available in this category.
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